munitions workers | The British Newspaper Archive Blog

Blog

Far From ‘Idle:’ The Women Canal Workers of the Second World War

Nicknamed the ‘Idle Women,’ although they were about as far from idle as anybody could possibly be, the women canal workers of the Second World War performed vital war work which is all but forgotten today, some seventy years later. Some of the ‘Idle women’ arriving at a canal dock | The Sphere | 15 April 1944 The curious name of ‘Idle Women’ came from the badges that these pioneering women wore, with the initials ‘IW,’ which stood for ‘Inland Waterways’.

Continue Reading

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , , ,

Women munition workers in WW1 – an advert for work overalls and the opening of a hostel in Newcastle

‘Lady Parsons, in declaring the hostel open, wished it every success, and said it was an honour to open a home for the women engaged in munition works.’ We’re fascinated by all the newspaper reports about women munition workers during the First World War. In addition to all the news and personal stories, there are some terrific adverts for hiring workers (we always like to know how much money our ancestors were earning) and the clothes that they needed for

Continue Reading

Tags

Women munition workers in WW1 – an advert for overalls and the opening of a hostel in Newcastle

We’re fascinated by all the newspaper reports about women munition workers during the First World War. In addition to the news and personal stories, there are some terrific adverts for hiring workers (we always like to know how much money our ancestors were earning) and the clothes that they needed for their work, etc. Included below is an advert for the overalls that munition workers required, and also a story about the opening of a hostel in Newcastle in 1916

Continue Reading

Tags

‘Where the People Boat’ – A Look at the History of the Boating Lake

In May 1905, The Sphere reports how ‘A remarkable scene may be witnessed any Sunday on the big lake at Battersea Park where the people boat.’ And in the early twentieth century, this scene could be found at boating lakes in cities and towns across the country, providing in particular the working classes with leisure opportunities previously unknown to them. In this special blog, using articles and illustrations all to be found within the British Newspaper Archive, we are going to take

Continue Reading

Tags

, , , , , , , , ,

Women and the First World War

First Worls War women firefighters

During the First World War (1914-1918), the role of women in Britain was massively altered and the women’s sphere was enlarged in every direction. Some historians mark the First World War as a watershed moment in women’s history when women were looked at less as fragile creatures and more as robust figures.  A single blog post is not enough to explore all the contributions of women during the Great War, but we have combed through The British Newspaper Archive and

Continue Reading

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , , ,

Tragedy and triumph in Warwick Davis’ family tree

  “I won’t be embarrassed by what I discover, bring it on! Let’s have an adventure.” – Warwick Davis In last night’s episode of Who Do You Think You Are? we joined Warwick Davis, best known for his acting career, as he uncovered a few family secrets including bigamy and multiple marriages on his mother’s side of the family, as well as tragedy and another successful performer on his father’s side. Searching for a Local Pub Warwick wanted to find out

Continue Reading

Tags

, , , , , ,

Twenty Incredible Pictures of Women’s War Work From Our Newspapers

When war broke out in August 1914, and again in September 1939, women across the United Kingdom played a pivotal role in the war effort, taking on jobs that we previously seen as the preserve of men. By July 1916 it was estimated that 750,000 women across Britain had taken up ‘war work,’ working in heavy industries and in munitions factories, working as drivers, as well as nurses and as doctors. This represented a seismic shift in the way that women

Continue Reading

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Hot Off The Press – New Pages This Week

This week at The Archive we have added 53,195 brand new pages, as we continue to augment our regional newspaper holdings from across England and Wales. Over the past seven days, we have added new pages to nineteen of our existing titles, from Bedfordshire to Birkenhead, from Harrow to Hertford, from Retford to Runcorn. So read on to discover which of our titles we have added to this week, as well as to find out about the Royal Ordnance Factory (ROF) Bridgend, which

Continue Reading

Tags

, , , , , , , , ,

Hot Off The Press – New Titles This Week

This week at The Archive we are delighted to welcome 49,366 brand new pages to our collection, as we introduce five brand new newspaper titles. Our new titles this week feature some specialist publications, which represent the worlds of insurance and engineering, as well as the moral concerns of the early twentieth century. Meanwhile, we have introduced one brand new title from London, whilst we have made additions to three of our existing titles, from Scotland and England. So read on to discover more about our

Continue Reading

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Celebrating Pioneering Early Women Footballers

To celebrate International Women’s Day this year, and as part of our look at the history of football this March, in this very special blog we will be taking a look at pioneering early women footballers. Register now and explore the Archive From those who took to the pitch in the eighteenth century Bath, to those who played in the first international match in 1881, we will look at the women who disrupted the status quo in order to play

Continue Reading

Tags

, , , , , , , , , ,